Lazard Freres & Co. LLC

Lazard Freres & Co. LLC is a merchant and investment bank based in France.

Lazard Freres & Co. LLC ... "For more than 100 years, Lazard Brothers & Co., Limited in London has held a unique position amongst merchant banks and investment banks due to the close association with the two other Lazard Houses; Lazard Frères & Co. LLC in the United States, and Lazard Frères et Cie. in France. The combination of three strong, indigenous businesses, each based in a principal capital market, has resulted in one of the world's strongest advisory firms. The essence of Lazard Brothers' corporate finance work is to assist clients develop their strategic ambitions by ensuring that the advice we give and the work we produce are of the highest standard. Recently Lazard' acted as the advisor to BAT on its proposed merger with Rothmans International and MCI on its merger with Worldcom. In the Nordic region, Lazard's advised Merita on its merger with Nordbanken, Trygg-Hansa on the acquisition by S-E-Banken and Partek on its two-step acquisition of Kalmar Industries. Lazard Brothers' principal business, like that of the other Lazard Houses, is primarily Mergers and Acquisitions. Lazards has a flexible structure, which enables it to provide the mix of skills and speed of reaction required by the firm's many clients."

"Our fundamental policy is to reassert the independence of financial advice provided to clients, based on an intimate knowledge of the client's business and market and continuous contact with its senior management. This close working relationship enables Lazards to respond to a client's needs promptly and in an innovative and coherent fashion."

History

 * William D. Cohan, The Last Tycoons: The Secret History of Lazard Freres & Co (Allen Lane, 2007).